The goal of Club Cheer is to provide a safe means of practicing cheerleading skills at a minimal time commitment and cost. We look for ex-high school and all-star cheerleaders to continue sharpening their tumbling and stunting skills in a competition environment for Level 6. This team is an alternative to the 15 plus or minus hours per week and $800 per person that Varsity Cheerleading must commit to per year.

With the increasing popularity of Appalachian State University, many incoming freshmen were put on a waitlist for fall 2008 admission thus not allowing them to tryout for varsity. While striving for our club goal, this team also provides members a chance to prepare for the coming year’s varsity team tryout and is a fun way of staying in shape. The varsity coach, John Anderson, coaches this club team and is AACCA safety certified as well as USASF credentialed. He has been a cheerleader at Penn State and Arizona State University and is going into his 6th year of college coaching.

Open practice will begin on Sunday September 7, 2008 in Varsity Gym on campus from 6-9pm. Anyone is welcome to practice and start learning the routine with us upon filling out the appropriate paperwork including a waiver that you may pick-up at a practice. Wednesday nights will be open gym times in Varsity Gym to work on skills that is in our routine. Open practices will continue every Sunday from 6-9pm until October 12, 2008. At the end of practice on this day, the 36-member (coed or all girl) competition team will be announced and is based on who has the skills by this day that we set for the routine.

Sunday October 19, 2008 will be the first official Club Team practice from 6-9pm in Varsity Gym. On this day, we will take sizes for uniforms and shoes (nike shoes and camp wear type uniform for our first year) and collect $100 for this apparel and the coach’s fee. We will then start putting people in their spots for the routine. We will be practicing on the correct size floor, but it is foam. On some Sunday afternoons we will have the opportunity to work tumbling on a spring floor (what we will compete on) at a minimal cost per person per visit.

Once App State basketball posts their schedule, we will add some Friday practices to perfect the routine. Sunday practices are mandatory, Wednesdays and Sunday tumbling are optional, and some Fridays will be mandatory. Our last practice of 2008 will be December 7 but we will try and exhibition at a competition before we leave for break.

Practice will resume January 18, 2009. We will have 6 – three-hour practices and 4 open gyms before we compete at Cheersport Nationals in Atlanta, GA on February 14-15, 2009 (depart Friday at 5pm and return Monday at noon). Cheersport gives Worlds bids at this event and if we get one, we may attend Worlds in Orlando, FL rather than going to Spirit Sports in Myrtle Beach, the cost will be about the same if we have that bid. Our final competition may be held in Myrtle Beach, SC at Spirit Sports Nationals on March 28-29, 2009 (depart Friday 3pm and return Monday at 2pm). There will be other performances that we have to travel to and all transportation will be in private cars where everyone will share in the cost of gas. On occasion, classes will be missed and it is your responsibility to let professors know where you are and for you to make-up your work.

Financially, Cheersport Nationals will run $175 per person (hotel, entrance fee, and gas), Spirit Sports (or Worlds depending what happens) will run $225 per person (hotel, entrance fee, and gas), other competitions and exhibitions will run $40 per person for gas, uniform and coaches fee will run $100 per person, and miscellaneous items (music, dance choreography, and bow) will run $50 per person. The total cost of being on this team will be approximately $600 if we want to do all of these competitions. Meaning everyone will owe $100 at the end of every month starting with October for six months. Fundraisers will be available and will go into individual accounts.

Should you have questions or concerns about this program, please contact coach John Anderson at andersonjd@appstate.edu.